


In Nocturnal Light(I still see you)

by Vel_Rose



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Falling In Love, Human Rey (Star Wars), Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylo Ren is a Mess, Leia Approves, Modern AU, Rey is a badass, Sass, Vampire Kylo Ren, Vampire Politics, but not really, its cute i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:48:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24247549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vel_Rose/pseuds/Vel_Rose
Summary: An idea that wouldn't leave my brain box, Kylo is a vampire (not the sexy murder kind) and made the mistake (read: pleasure) of choosing Rey as his meal. What should have been a quick meal turned into an existential crisis and a willing thrall to protect, befriend, and help feed Kylo until he gets bored of her (read again: never tires of her)
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 10
Kudos: 47





	1. How Do You Do

**Author's Note:**

> Intended to be a short story, maybe 10K words tops. Please let me know what you think, and thank you for reading.

"So tell me again how it started," The girl spoke. She was stunning to the eye, and talking rather smoothly over the phone to her friend. He had been watching her long enough to know she dedicated at least this one hour of her day to speak with her friend from college. 

Long enough to know that her name started with an "R", but he never got personal with his meals and that she went to this quiet bookstore lounge every Tuesday to type away at her small computer and chat merrily over the phone. 

It had only been a few days, but since feeding last and watching the way her face lit up with life, he was feeling ravenous. 

He sat per usual in his shadowy corner, which was really dimly lit because the lounge owner had yet to receive their order of lightbulbs. The barista had kept him company with the occasional deposit of beverages on his small table, and the book in his hands that he was pretending to read had been folded over and dog eared so many times in its use that it was hardly recognizable. 

All this so he could further observe her. 

Like clockwork, she cooed her goodbyes over the phone, moving her fingers over her laptop trackpad to shut it down, and moved to pack up for her short walk home.   
He watched as she sauntered out into the autumn air with a cheery wave to the bookstore owner and hardly a glance in his direction.   
A few bills placed on the tabletop and a few breaths later, he was following her at a distance. 

He took a moment to appreciate how pretty she was for a human, not quite unearthly, but stunning like sunlight. 

Under the streetlight, her tanned skin glowed like the sand on a beach, her brown ponytail bouncing with each step, her shapely legs making sure strides down the street.   
In a block, she would make a left toward her apartment, which she resided alone in save for a few house plants. In the alleyway before her doorway, he would pull her in and finally satiate the hunger churning in his throat, and lift the fog of frenzy in his hindbrain. 

He followed at a distance until his turn for the alleyway came up, and there he faded into the shadows, stepping into the nocturnal embrace.   
He listened for her approach, breathing shallowly through his lips to keep from his craze. Her soft thrum of a beating heart nearly made him shiver, and when her athletic build came into view he pounced. 

In an instant, her gasp of surprise was muffled by his hand, the pad of his thumb to the end of his index spanning across her jaw and mouth from ear to ear, God she was so small this close. 

He leaned in, still cloaked in shadow as she tensed beneath his hold, the scratching of her shirt against the building's brick side filling the air. She didn't struggle as most did, but she wasn't stock still like a deer caught in headlights, and though her heart was pounding, it was closer to excitement than fear. 

He reeled back, eyes glinting in the light of streetlamps, like a cat under the flash of a camera. He stared at her, at the way she tapped at him as if to gain his attention. This close, he could practically taste her, and the fog in his hindbrain increased his hunger for warmth, she smelled like clean linen and honey. 

Her eyes were focused and determined, unafraid, and he took a pause, giving her just enough breaths between them, her fingers still gripped tight in his shirt collar.   
"Speak," He growled, feeling impatient, 

"You've taken your time," She gasped out, her breath a soft flutter on his chin, "Took you nearly a week to grow a pair," 

He positively smoldered at her, kindling a flare of anger, "then, by all means, let me continue if you're so eager," 

"You could have just asked," She huffed, and he paused again, frowning at her as his gums grew sore with need.  
  
"Asked," He echoed, 

"Jesus you act like manners died a century ago," She had quite a bit of quip for a woman pinned by her throat to the side of a building. He decided, that he appreciated her cheek to him. 

"Clarify girl, I hunger," Clearly she had something more to say, and he was beginning to grow concerned that he would not feed that night. 

"You don't have a thrall, do you? I haven't seen a zombie hanging around with you in the coffee shop," An astute observation, 

"If you knew, why haven't you done anything about it?" He pressed, 

"And miss this sparkling conversation? Never," She shifted to better stand on her toes, "Look, I'm propositioning you,"

"I have no need for the desires of the flesh," She rolled her pretty chocolate eyes, 

"God you're so dense, are you a fledgling?" 

"You have some nerve," He hissed, not bothering to hide in shadow, clearly monstrous movements were ineffective, he would intimidate her with his size. She seemed undeterred, but she did shrink back into the wall from him, her eyes racing over his profile, "where is your cheek, girl?" 

"You're hungry, I get that and can provide you food, you don't have a thrall to protect you, I'm trained in several martial arts and familiar with several firearms, do you get what I'm saying?" 

"You wish to be my blood bank," He deadpanned, 

"Not quite, I don't allow the whole feed on me whenever you like, but I can help you hunt, or provide you with food when you can't," He put in a small level of thought into her proposal, and while he wasn't hurting for defense or assistance with hunting, he was interested in the things she was not saying. 

"When does this start?" He loosened his hold on her, and allowed her to brush the brick dust from her clothing, 

"Come inside and find out." 

20 minutes later he found himself perched on a yellow-painted stool at her kitchen counter while she pushed a blood bag into her microwave. It was a small studio, her futon left open with pillows and blankets sprawled atop it, desert flowers and other plants decorated her windows and a small chest of items and art supplies sat in the center of the room beside an ottoman. 

Their shoes had been toed off by the door, and their coats hung in the adjacent closet, it was all strikingly normal to him. 

The microwave dinged and she pulled out the bag, handing it to him with a studious glance, watching in what appeared to be fascination as he bit down into it. "So, how long have you been a vampire?" She leaned against the countertop, elbow propped up, chin resting in her palm. 

He sucked his saliva off from the plastic with a pop, "Over a century," 

"Turned or born?" 

"Vampires are no longer born, the process is barbaric," She pursed her lips and nodded, "Where did you get this?" 

"I volunteer at a blood donation clinic, sometimes supplies go missing," For a moment, he appreciated her resourcefulness, 

"How long have you known I was watching you?" 

"The moment you stopped reading your book in the lounge," She was so assured of herself, he liked that about her. 

"What is your name?" The last drops of blood were decompressed from the bag like a juice box before he stood to toss it in the garbage. Her eyes followed him with every step, cautious but relaxed. 

"Rey Kenobi," She extended her palm to him, a slight smile on her face. 

If he truly considered it, keeping a human around was probably not the best idea, because although the haze of hunger was gone, and the anxiety associated with a frenzy was contained, it would always come back and put her in harm's way. 

Not that her wellbeing should matter to him, they had just met, and she gave him her name. It was akin to visiting a dog pound and reading their "adopt me" sign.   
Still, there was a warmth about her, and the sass she gave him, that made his hand extend to meet hers. 

"Kylo." 

"Well then, Kylo, I foresee this is the start of a long and beautiful relationship," and her words couldn't have been more true. 

She had agreed to be his non-bound thrall, and as she had initially said, she provided protection during daylight hours when he was particularly vulnerable to others. In this duty, she had mostly moved into his own shadowy apartment, stocking the fridge with food for herself, and beverages for them both to enjoy. 

And though he couldn't eat food the way she did, she regularly cooked meals for herself in his kitchen, going so far as to purchase a bright yellow apron and wearing it like a second skin. 

She had a permanent bag of clothing and weaponry for on the go situations stored in the downstairs closet, and the couch had become her new best friend since its discovery. 

She had declined the usage of the spare bedroom. 

At first, Kylo was convinced that having a human around regularly would leave him prone to aggression and feelings regarding territory, but Rey was surprisingly easy to cohabitate with. She handled everything with an air of professionalism and regarded him with equal sass when he deserved it.   
After nearly 6 months, he found he really enjoyed having her around.

Rey was kick ass for a woman of 23, she knew what she wanted out of life, and for the time being that want extending to being around Kylo. When she wasn't doing her best to take care of him, they were almost like friends. 

They frequented the movie theater, catching up on today's pop culture. Restaurant tasting was a personal favorite of Rey's, she had expressed just as much following a fancy dine in at some Italian place. Perks of being ageless is also having years of experience with money, and having someone to finally spend it on helped.   
There were moments when they disagreed on things, mostly his lifestyle. 

She had caught him smoking on his balcony late one night, somewhere 8 months in, his back leaned against the railing and the sounds of the street filling the air. He had needed a moment to seriously reconsider his relationship with Rey because although it was nice, it was also putting them both in jeopardy, there were things that needed to be disclosed before they continued on, but he found himself hesitating to tell her.   
He was worried that she would leave. 

In his musings, she snuck up on him through his room, her voice haughty in the cool air, "Dear Lord are you smoking?" 

"What a keen observation," He griped, turning to face her with a smirk, the offending cigarette between his lips. She stepped out into the night, and he considered how good she looked blanketed in the darkness. 

It was that line of thinking that made him retouch his thoughts earlier. 

The dynamic between them was changing, either mutually or just on his side. In the past few weeks, he had seen her in a different light. Rey was usually bright and full of life, his own proverbial sunshine, always vivid even with his enhanced eyesight, somehow something had changed, and he was noticing things about her that he wouldn't have to another passing human. 

Things like the way she preferred her tea with honey from the local area unless it was black, then she drank it with half and half and sugar. Or how tea was her treat after a long day at her day job, or that she secretly brought a stuffed animal with her no matter the location. Little things that he secretly adored about her. Things that he would miss terribly if she were gone. 

"Rey," He began, somehow finding an inkling of courage under the night sky with nicotine on his tongue. Somehow she understood the meaning behind his soft tone, he watched her bristle at the sound. 

She stepped into his space, fingers plucking the roll from his mouth, "You know these will kill you right?" And as if to prove her point, she stuck the end that had been in his mouth a few seconds ago into her own, and dammit if that didn't do something to him. 

She took a long drag with two fingers, maintaining that determined eye contact he was growing to love, her eyes watered however and a coughing fit erupted from her. 

She was definitely not a smoker. 

He took the offending piece from her grasp and took a drag, trying not to think about her lingering taste as he did. He listened dutifully as she scolded him between coughs, "See *cough* early grave and all," He cracked a smile at her, dropping the cigarette and slowly putting the ember out beneath his foot. 

She seemed pleased with herself, and he was secretly grateful for her intuition, he wasn't sure he was ready to let her go. 

Weeks later, after a particularly long night of taking her out for food, and then subsequently hunting and feeding, it was late into the evening, touching the rays of the morning sun that Rey was both physically and mentally exhausted. She had fallen asleep in the car drive back to his home, and watching her sleep peacefully beside him, trusting him to take care of her made something in his chest twist. 

He couldn't bring himself to let her curl up on the couch, so he gathered her in his arms and placed her in his goddamn bed. When she woke up late the next day, he did his best to remain impartial to her. 

In reality, he had been creepy, watching her in his bed as she curled around a pillow and sighed. She was just so damn gorgeous, even in sleep, that he couldn't leave her be. He wanted her in his bed, not just sleeping, but with him. 

Fuck. 

He was in trouble. 


	2. If I Could Be With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter was maybe 3K words (2354 to be exact) so lets pick up where we left off, with Kylo falling down the slippery slope of falling in love. We went from him viewing her only as food, to a human thrall and now he's got a hopeless attraction to her that he cannot reconcile.

He held a sinking feeling that hunting would always be strange when Rey was involved. Even after a year in her presence, and the ever-growing pressure of feelings for her, he still couldn't get over himself when it came to feeding. 

When they had first met, he had been unabashed in his behavior, fully embracing what he was instead of what he could be. To be a monster was all he had known for the last 80 plus years of his not-life. Even so, with the gifts of speed, agility, and strength, having a person alive and subdued beneath him while Rey watched from the sidelines had begun to instill a sick feeling in his gut. 

He had come to realize that being seen as a monster was the last thing he wanted, even if it was inherently his nature. 

He might not have noticed if he hadn't acknowledged his attraction for her, but some months ago he had taken to eating in private when he could. Desperately trying to appear more human for her, as if it would change anything between them. 

She never asked about that night on his balcony, and he was not forthcoming. 

Rey was efficient, she was professional, and she was everything that she proposed she could be. She did her best to take care of him and protected him when she thought it necessary. It was everything equivalent to a boss and employee relationship by social standards, so why couldn't he shake the softness he associated with her?

After a year of being in her company, he almost didn't want to think about the time that could come after, when she was no longer around. Humans only lived so long. 

"Rey?" He was seated at the counter in her apartment, she was making a batch of tea she didn't have at Kylo's and had insisted he try it. 

"Hmm?" She hummed, a light sound from her chest. He stared down at his hands, remembering how much life they've taken, how much blood they had been stained with. 

"Would you want to become like me?" 

She stopped moving. 

Then her brows knit together when she turned to regard him with that equally warm and undeterred gaze. 

"What?" He swallowed deeply, 

"Would you-" 

"No I heard you," She looked away from him for a moment, true concern showing on her face, "Why?" 

"I just thought... It's been a year now, and I haven't given you anything," Even to his ears his reasoning sounded like the lie it was, he tried not to wince. 

Rey stared openly at him, and he knew she knew he was a shitty liar. 

"I'm not your servant Kylo, I'm your friend." 

"That wasn't what this originally was," It was a petulant grumble, a desire to feel sorry for himself. 

"You mean to ask, why did I volunteer my services?" She looked as though he had slapped her, and he felt ashamed. 

"I just thought..." 

"I don't want anything from you Kylo," and the words stung. His hindbrain knew that she hadn't meant any harm or sting behind the words, but he held them deep in his chest. Kylo stared down at the granite countertop, listening as she went back to her boiled leaf water. 

Soon enough a steaming mug was placed before him, grounds swirling in the tinted water. It smelled of roses and honey. Gingerly he lifted the mug and sipped. 

Basic fluids and food groups did nothing for his hunger, and rarely satisfied him, but the fact that Rey had taken the time to share something important to her with him, made him take the time to savor the liquid. 

"S'good," He mumbled 

"It's a new mix from Maz, the old apothecary down the road," Rey poured herself a mug and sipped, giving her own hum while Kylo processed her words. 

"Maz... Maz as in the witch Maz?" Kylo stared at the cup with a slow feeling of abject horror. 

"Yes? I didn't know she was a witch... Kylo?" 

"Did you say anything to her? That you know me?" 

"No," She set her mug down, frowning now, "Why?" 

"She's... old, really old, older than my mother and that's saying something," 

"But she's mortal," 

"She's a witch," Kylo clarified, not that it helped clear the air. "Do you know the basics of a Coven?" 

"I know they have their own tiered hierarchy, but I don't see how this involves Maz, much less the tea," 

"Vampire Covens have been around since the dawn of time, much like witchcraft, many would even say they are intrinsically related," Kylo swirled the tea, taking in the aroma and listening to Rey's heartbeat across the room. "Many of the first Vampires were actually born of a ritual, the same ritual considered taboo in today's world, but they were witches before any of it, and required powerful magic and often times sacrifices to supplement eternal life," 

"So Maz is... evil?"

"No, not Maz," Kylo sipped again, "But because Vampires were witches, and then did horrible things with power, both communities quickly gained a bad reputation. Witches were publicly executed, which led to more cases of Vampirism," 

"What? I've never heard of this history," 

"Because they would never tell it to humans. We were only recently accepted into society, and even now there's still an understandable bias," He wet his lips before continuing, "Witches are just people, humans with abilities and connections to the unseen, mystics, oracles, fates, these were all titles used to describe them. Often times, witches that were murdered were town healers, and openly opposed the presence of vampires. Unfortunately, the practice of repelling us is questionable in itself, and once the townspeople grew panicked, they killed their only line of defense."

"Jesus, so it was like a civil war zone," 

"Sure you could call it that," 

"Then how does this tie into a coven?" 

"Once witchcraft was recognized as being the cause of Vampirism, humans turned against Witches and vampires, and while Vampires could defend themselves, others could not. And in this age of blood, the two opposing groups formed a pact, an understanding. Through diplomacy and standard assassination, those who were power hungry were destroyed, and a new wave of organization stepped in. A council was formed, and several Covens from it, each representing a house, in these houses or covens, a single witch would be there to provide support and assistance wherever needed, and the house would protect them from all forms of harm." 

"Wow," Rey said after a moment, her cup long since empty, she leaned against the counter towards him, resting on her elbows, "Then, Maz is the witch of your coven?" 

"Yes, and a very old one," He leaned his chin in his palm, "She was around when my mother was still a girl. And my mother is _old_." 

"So your mother, what role does she have in your Coven?" 

"Currently, she is Representative of the house, but she is expected to step down when I am ready to challenge her," 

"Woah, what? Like, kill her?"

"God no," Kylo curled his lip at the thought, "It's all political, nothing so violent. Most rein for a long time, but my mother is tired and other houses know it. While there may be peace now, there wasn't in the recent past and no matter our outward appearances, we are still predators searching for weaknesses," 

"Are you?" 

It was a simple question, it shouldn't have thrown him, but he sat and stared at her as though she had nullified the ethics of their relationship. 

"Am I what?" He asked, almost afraid of her answer, 

"Just a predator," She turned her back to him, pouring herself another mug of lukewarm tea. He was still staring through her when she faced him again. 

A feeling of hot anger flared in his chest and he suddenly felt betrayed. In a way, he was glad for the opening, to verbally state that regardless of his hidden desire for her, and to be better for her, he couldn't change what he was. 

The bulb above them flickered, and his voice was low, "Yes, I am," He watched her lips twitch, and for a moment, her eyes grew soft as they rested on him. 

He stood quickly, needing to get away from her, and he was out the door and into the early evening before she could move to stop him. 

Kylo knew he was being dramatic, but he needed to get away from her, away from her scrunched nose and soft smile, from her sunny skin and brilliant eyes. Fuck he was so hopelessly in love with her. 

His feet stopped moving, and he froze at a crosswalk in the street. 

that was it, wasn't it? 

It was no longer a simple attraction, or a desire to be alive again the way she was. No, he was actually in love with her, and the knowledge that they could never be was slowly killing him. 

She had a life to live, years ahead of her that she could be spending with another man and even start a family of her own. She had always told him how much she desired one, he knew that he was holding her back from that. Being un-dead didn't quite help with fertility. 

A gentle image of Rey with a swollen belly in the arms of another man-made him uncontrollably jealous. Still, he held back, sinking his teeth in his tongue, because Rey deserved better. 

There was no hope for him to become human again, and Rey hadn't reacted positively to being asked about living forever. All he could do now is show her just how much of a monster he could be. 

He wasn't hungry, but he needed an anchor, a reminder of what he was. Daylight was gone, dipped behind the trees, and out of reach for a quicky, but that didn't mean that people had returned to their homes. 

Kylo walked, not needing anything in particular, but found himself in a park with a running trail. Distantly he registered the rhythmic footfalls of a runner and stepped into the shadows, awaiting the unsuspecting person. A blonde, perky and middle-aged rounded the corner, he hardly registered the bright pastel of her clothing before gripping her wrist and yanking her into the shadows. 

She hardly had time to scream before she was pinned in his grasp and under the mercy of his teeth. 

His fangs sunk into the tender hollow of her throat with minimal resistance, her body tensed under the intrusion, and a tremble came with the initial wave of blood. 

In this moment, with a woman under him and against his chest, he thought of Rey. Of how she would never watch him eat, only assist in the catch and the well being of the victim after he was done. Somehow, she still acknowledged that he was a monster, and the sinking feeling in his gut grew to revulsion. 

He dropped the nameless woman, twisting and spitting into the grass beside her, disgusted with himself and what he was, he wished that rather than going on knowing that Rey would grow old with a family and a lover, he would continue existing and feeling nothing. 

God, he was pathetic. 

He stood on shaky legs, angry at his weakness as a monster, and ashamed that he had even tried to prove what he was. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, staring at the blood a moment, he was slow to accept that Rey had changed him, in the year that they had been together. 

If she were to leave, and she _had to_ , it would be the end of him. 

For the moment, he was okay with that. 

As he made the long walk back to her place, he ran over the things he wanted to tell her. How he was hopelessly in love with her, but ashamed of being so selfish. That he desired her, in more ways than one, but could never provide her with anything more than worldly possessions. That he respected her decision to remain human, but died a little inside, knowing that even on the slight chance that she decided to stick around, he would watch her grow old and die. He needed to tell her that it was never going to work, even as his chest constricted, Rey deserved better than he could give. 

So he would let her go. 

Rey was wrapped in a blanket on her futon, eyes droopy, and feet in fuzzy socks when he walked in. 

Quietly, he toed off his shoes and moved to put their mugs away in the sink, "You came back," 

"I did," He allowed, and walked over to her, and made to sit on the floor beside her feet. 

Her hand patted the bed beside her and Kylo hesitated. He yearned to join her, to feel her curl around him, but he knew if he did that he would struggle even more with letting her go. 

"Please," Was her small peep, and he gave in. 

He landed on the cushion and the springs below groaned under his weight. Rey was quick to move in, like a snake she had coiled her body heat about his waist and chest, pulling him on his side to face her. An arm resting about her shoulders. 

For a moment, all was quiet. Only the sound of her breathing as she settled her face into his chest. Their legs were tangled with only her wrapped in a soft blanket. She exuded a steady warmth that only came with life, and were she anyone else, the proximity would have driven him mad. 

Protectiveness made him encircle her tighter, holding her steady. Her breaths were soft puffs of air against him, and he nearly thought she was asleep until she mumbled into him. 

He leaned back to provide room, her voice soft but clear, "You still want to know why?" Why she was here to begin with. Why she had propositioned him, stood up to him, enthralled him in her own way, and asked nothing in return.

"Why did you?" He asked, closing his eyes and listening to her steady breaths. 

"You looked lonely." 

He couldn't help it, he pulled her closer, squeezing her tighter and pressed his face into her hair, breathing her scent of laundry and honey.

He would make it up to her, he would. 

Nearly a month later, he did his best to please her. Ever grateful to just be in her presence, knowing in the back of his mind that this could be the last time he saw her. 

He took her to a museum, one of natural history and one that held an occult sector that she fawned over. He took great pride in explaining the uses of each item, differentiating between fact and fiction, and even explaining how relevant the items or processes were to the early Vampires. 

Rey steadily maintained a look of wonder on her face. 

Next, he brought her to dinner, a restaurant for sushi. Rey had never experienced sushi beyond supermarket make, and being spoiled with the chef's choice menu had emptied his pockets by about 200 for one person and a slow delve into wine and sake. 

Rey had just finished a slice of some fish he couldn't name when she struck him with a question, "You mentioned something to me a while ago, you mentioned that vampire covens had issues between each other politically, how does that involve you?" 

"Oh," Kylo set down his small cup of sake, "Well a coven is like a family, it's more than the bloodline of the house, it includes everyone they want to protect, including friends, sometimes that includes a case of political asylum," 

"Like a sheltering?" 

"Say that a member you knew well was being mistreated and was under serious threat of destruction under another house, you could turn to your house rep and advocate for a position for your friend. The representative has to agree because sheltering an individual from persecution of another coven could start a house war."

"Sounds tricky," She played with her chopsticks a moment, "Why do it at all then?" 

"Some individuals find themselves in positions they can't otherwise escape from," Kylo tried to keep his expression passive, but her sharp eyes caught his hesitation. She waited patiently, taking a piece of sashimi and munching on it thoughtfully. "I was in a bad place when I was younger," 

"Younger as a vampire or before?" 

"Both," He smiled at her, "Mostly, I felt that the choice to become what I am or stay human had been robbed from me, and I resented my mother for it."

"She turned you?" 

"Yes, she told me it was for the good of the Coven, but at the time I thought it was because she wanted to scorn me," Kylo tried not to clench his fist, and glanced around the restaurant, at the people chatting nearby. He frowned at the table again, "I made a choice to join another coven as a fledgling, I was promised power, the ability to choose my fate. It was an orchestrated lie, but the damage to my and my mothers' reputation had already been done when I figured it out. I wanted out, and the coven rep. Leader Snoke wanted me dead. I needed help and my mother extended her hand.

After she had taken him down politically, she allowed me to return and dismantle the house physically, a lot of vampires died that day. And I had no place to go but back under my original house." 

"Is Snoke dead?" Rey asked, and he noticed her white-knuckled grip on her chopsticks. Her sudden anger and protectiveness made his chest squeeze with gratitude. He fought the urge to reach put and soothe his thumb over her knuckles. He smiled at her, thinking of her bright and shining self beating Snoke's wrinkly face into a pulp. 

"He's dead, but his cronies still live on somewhere else," 

"Do you think they'd try to find you?" She seemed to relax at his smile and moved to continue eating. Kylo shook his head, it wasn't likely that Hux was still alive, although he was a vampire, he was a bottom feeder and sleazy, another would have already killed him off. Phasma could have been a concern, but she was too independent and unlikely to hold a grudge. Rey huffed, "Good then, they'd better not show up, I wouldn't let them touch you," 

"I don't think they'd get close, sunshine," The word had slipped from his tongue without thought, and he panicked. Rey seemed unbothered, chewing her food without looking at him. If he could combust into a pile of ashes now it would be great to spare him from the embarrassment. Kylo looked away from her and took another cup of sake to his lips. 

"So tell me about your mother," Rey chimed. Finished with her food and awaiting desert. 

"What about her?" 

"What's she like?" Her brow raised and she smiled, "She was obviously a powerful force in your life." Kylo struggled to find the right words. 

"My mother is a woman's woman, much of her life was dedicated to being the best version of herself she could be, and when she gained immortality, she traveled the world in search of meaning. She's strong, quick-witted, stubborn, but also soft. She would like you, I think," 

"So not quite the baking type I assume?" Kylo barked a laugh, 

"God no, she'd rather be caught dead," Rey grinned and sipped her wine, making a pleasing sound when the waitress deposited her bowl of the desert. Kylo watched as she enjoyed the cold spoon and frozen cream. "For a while, my mother advocated for human rights, and later joined the woman's suffrage movement," 

"Wow she's old," Rey smirked, sticking the spoon in her mouth, 

"And she was recently a face in human government affairs, she was one of the forces behind equal rights for monsters as well," 

"Hold on, your mother is Amilyn Holdo?" 

"Leia Organa," He corrected, 

"Oh jeez, I clearly need a new government lesson," Rey scraped the bottom of the bowl gently with her spoon. When she was done, she swiped her tongue over her lips and leaned back in her seat. 

In the dim light of the restaurant, with the atmosphere of class and quiet conversation around them, Rey looked nearly ethereal. She wore her amber hair down, and it cascaded down her spine elegantly. She didn't require jewelry or makeup as she shone with radiance even in the night. 

He was utterly entranced by her. 

The waitress dropped off their ticket for dinner, and Kylo paid the sum easily. Standing first and holding out his hand for Rey to take, he led her outside into the cool evening air. He intended to take her to a nearby flower garden with a fountain centerpiece. It was there that he intended to tell her how he was feeling, confess all of it. 

A feeling of sadness clung to his shoulders as they walked. He was sure that after that night, he would have to ask her to go. The slip up in the restaurant was a testament to how quickly he was crumbling around her. 

Rey took a moment and turned to regard him. No doubt she had read into his silence. Under the street light, she stepped away from him, and he turned to regard her evenly. 

"I had a good time tonight Kylo," She seemed nervous around him, and it made him frown, "But why did you take me out tonight?" He tried not to react as though she had struck him. "You're not going to kill me are you?" It was a lame joke, but he smiled anyway. 

"No, Rey," Movement in the alleyway drew his gaze, it was just a pair of guys chatting in the dark like they were, "No I wanted to repay you," 

"For what?" 

"Don't make me say it," He felt as though she was snipping him apart at the seams, "Please not here." And his plea seemed to have the desired effect, she understood that he had something important to share with her, so she nodded once, and took a step closer. 

In that time, he had been so focused on her, on his own feelings, that he blatantly ignored the sound of a car pulling up. Of windows dropping, of the click of safety. 

It was too late for him to react when the shots rang. 

When her body tilted and crumpled toward him, all thought flew from his mind. 

Her lips were moving as she reached for him, and clung to herself. He blinked rapidly, shocked, and slowly realizing she was crying. 

"Kylo- Kylo _please-_ " Her words were frantic, wheezing, awful from her chest, her body trembled and her hands encircled the gush of her open wound. 

He was by her side in an instant, angry and afraid and horrified, "Rey! Oh my God, Rey!" He couldn't do more than hold her, arm around her shoulder, his mind worked for a solution, his wide palm pressed into the gunshot wound at her ribs. 

"Kylo-" She gurgled, the blood filling her throat, it wouldn't stop. He pressed harder, willing for the valuable fluid to go back in the way it came, his eyes were round and unfocused, filled with so much red. "You're gonna be okay, Rey, you're gonna be okay" 

It was a weak promise, her soft gasps, the tears in her eyes, trembling fingers around his. There was just _so much blood_. 

"You're gonna be okay Rey." 

And he could do _nothing._


End file.
